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Category: Clinical Microbiology; Bacterial Pathogenesis
Is Acanthamoeba polyphaga Mimivirus an Emerging Causative Agent of Pneumonia?, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555816803/9781555815257_Chap03-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555816803/9781555815257_Chap03-2.gifAbstract:
Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV) is the first member of a new family of nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses called the Mimiviridae. Another giant virus, named mamavirus, was discovered in 2008 and is considered another APMV strain. Moreover, nosocomially acquired pneumonias account for 10 to 15% of all hospital-acquired infections, and pneumonia is actually the leading cause of nosocomial infection in intensive care units (ICU), where ventilator-associated pneumonias (VAP) are the most frequently observed hospital-acquired infections and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Mimivirus was one of the agents investigated by serological testing, among other conventional pneumonia agents. Among pneumonia patients with amoeba-associated pathogens, more had seroconversion to mimivirus (5 cases) than to any other pathogen. In addition, mimivirus was second among the four most frequently encountered agents of pneumonia diagnosed with high levels of evidence (3.8%), behind Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.8%) but before Escherichia coli (1.9%) and Legionella pneumophila (1.4%). It should be noted that only one-third of the therapeutic regimens are effective in pneumonia patients needing ventilators. Serology linked APMV to pneumonia, but infection was documented by PCR in only one patient. current data prompt us to consider APMV and its relatives as biosafety level 2 pathogens and to enforce the respiratory care protocols aimed at limiting exposure to amoeba-associated microorganisms (AAMs).
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Transmission electron microscopy of mimivirus particles with ruthenium red staining.
Transmission electron microscopy of mimivirus in an infected amoeba.
Summary of clinical studies that tested pneumonia patients for mimivirus infections
Data for and against Mimiviridae pathogenicity
Mismatches with primers and probes used in PCR assays in Dare et al.’s study ( 22 )